cannabisnews.com: Outlaw Tobacco and Legalize Pot
Outlaw Tobacco and Legalize Pot
Posted by CN Staff on January 12, 2007 at 13:02:50 PT
By Curtis G. Berndt
Source: News-Sentinel
Indiana -- When I read letters from smokers whining about not being allowed to suck on cigarettes in public, it makes me wonder if all their synapses are clicking. Here are these poor addicts crying about not being allowed to destroy their health and the health of those near them, wringing their hands and ranting about future government interference, never realizing how absurd they sound. My mom used to tell me not to stare at such people. It was hard then, and it still is.
What these people need is not sympathy but a solution to their problem. The plans offered to date only address the problem by limiting smoking areas.That causes high anxiety for tobacco addicts and does nothing to remedy the many problems caused by smoking. I have a better plan, a simpler plan, one that is easy to implement: Outlaw tobacco and legalize marijuana.This is easy to do once you realize that whether a drug is legal or not is purely a matter of chance. If your deadly, addictive drug of choice is tobacco, youíre OK. If itís heroin, youíre in trouble.Making pot legal and tobacco illegal would eliminate the smoking issue. Consider the following:♦ As shown in a study at Johns Hopkins University, pot doesnít cause cancer, and itís not addictive. It might be habit-forming, but then so are chocolate-chip cookies. Anybody want to give those up? Didnít think so.♦ Many people say tobacco is a necessary stress reliever for them. Buddy, tobacco doesnít hold a candle to pot. Not only will marijuana relieve your stress to the point of turning you limp, it improves sleep. Recent studies have shown that lack of sleep contributes to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. As an added benefit, pot might improve your eyesight. Iíve heard people claim to see things when smoking pot they donít see otherwise. Better health through smoking Ė letís see the tobacco crowd claim that.♦ Restaurants would be able to increase income by charging admission to their smoking sections. Not only would people stop complaining about smokers, they would demand tables near them.♦ Secondhand smoke? Forget that one! Smokers standing outside buildings to puff would be surrounded by nonsmokers inhaling deeply. Not only would this improve lung health in the masses, but think of all the new friends smokers would make.♦ Future lawsuits concerning smoking would disappear; think of the effect on trial lawyers. Anyone feel bad about that?♦ The intake of alcohol would drop precipitously, since having a smoke with your beer would increase the buzz with less booze. With less alcohol being consumed, the number of bar fights would drop at an exponential rate. This would result in a drop in police calls and court actions, saving us lots of money in law enforcement. The drop in alcohol consumption would lower the number of domestic disturbances.♦ Having a smoke on the way home would greatly decrease the number of road rage incidents.♦ We could tax the bejabbers out of pot, and smokers would pay it.♦ We would end a lot of the problems at the border, because most of the illegal drugs going north are bales of marijuana. If itís legal, it crosses like tequila, but in greater volume.♦ New advertising revenue from marijuana sales. I can see it now: ďJuan isnít growing the easiest pot in the world, heís growing excellent weed.Ē Think of the money there.I could go on and on, but I think Iíve made the point. Approximately 12 million people in the United States smoke pot and are not being hurt. About 450,000 people will die of diseases related to tobacco use this year. Itís a no-brainer: lower costs, more tax revenues, happier people.So whatís the downside to this? The only one I can see is that marijuana makes people happy, so conservatives will fight legalization to the end. Maybe thatís why they like tobacco so much Ė it hurts those who enjoy it.Curtis G. Berndt is a resident of Fremont. Complete Title: Ready To End Smoking Debates? Outlaw Tobacco and Legalize Pot Source: News-Sentinel, The (Fort Wayne, IN)Author: Curtis G. BerndtPublished: January 12, 2007Copyright: 2007 The News-SentinelContact: lmorris news-sentinel.comWebsite: http://www.fortwayne.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help
Comment #42 posted by Hope on January 21, 2007 at 16:08:29 PT
Comment 22
Greedy, hateful buggers.Law enforcement's obviously whispering in the delegate's ear, begging for and insisting on more and more money and more and more toys and to get to rob people in the name of the state, more than they already do.Cunning, greedy, lying robbers.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #41 posted by Max Flowers on January 16, 2007 at 09:28:20 PT
BGreen
A little "mota" should not be hard to obtain in Mexico, to say the least...! Maybe ask some other cool-looking eco-tourists at your compound? Sounds like you are in the area close to Belize---if so, all the more mota to be had. I wouldn't go asking taxi drivers and bellboys, but asking other gringos who've been there longer would be really safe. Either way, enjoy...
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #40 posted by paulpeterson on January 15, 2007 at 12:32:39 PT
CorvallisEric-"conservative affective disorder&quo
Dear Mr. Eric: Thank you for posting your finding about that conservative bent article. Nice work. Helpful to my own research. You see, Congress did a study where they found, in 2003, that conservatism is actually a group of neuroses or psychoses, including "greed, averice, anxiety and inability to respond to ambiguous stimuli". Based on this, I have designed a "diagnosis" called CAD. Similar to seasonal affective disorder. This article you found is good punch for the bowl. Thanks again. Let me know if you want a copy of the entire pamphlet. I will email it to you or something. omegabeef gmail.com PAUL PETERSON
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #39 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on January 15, 2007 at 03:44:32 PT
Outlaw Water!
Woman in water drinking contest dieshttp://tinyurl.com/ylzwpj
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #38 posted by FoM on January 14, 2007 at 16:07:52 PT
BGreen
It's wonderful that you can check in no matter where you are. Some areas are getting hit hard with this ice storm. You're in a good place. Here's a video if you can get it.One Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uteBX4_wxXk
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #37 posted by BGreen on January 14, 2007 at 15:56:05 PT
Hey, mon!
OK, so Mrs. Green and I were sitting out by the pool at our all-inclusive resort on 37 acres in the Mayan jungle, sipping cocktails under a sky with just enough clouds to give our fluorescent white skin a fighting chance, with a steady tropical breeze blowing in from the gulf of Mexico ... and Bob Marley on the sound system.Oh, yeah!It just doesn't get much better than that, except, as Mrs. Green so lovingly suggested, that I was smoking a great big spliff.Oh, well, there's always Amsterdam.Thanks for the shout out to Mrs. Green, Toker00. She was happy you thought of her.FoM, it's wonderful to keep in touch with you no matter where I am in this world. Isn't that great?Mrs. Green is taking a nap to a background chorus of tropical birds so I thought I'd check in. We have a terrible ice storm back home so I'm really glad I booked this vacation when I did.Take care and I'll see you later.The Reverend Bud Green
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #36 posted by afterburner on January 13, 2007 at 23:37:46 PT
Hope #19: More Voices of Reason
CN BC: OPED: Government Created A System Benefitting The Worst One Percent, Parksville Qualicum Beach News, (12 Jan 2007)
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n039/a13.html?176CN ON: PUB LTE: Decriminalizing Pot Growth Would Pay Off, Windsor Star, (12 Jan 2007)
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n039/a10.html?176CN NS: PUB LTE: Regulation of Drugs Makes More Sense Than Busts, The Evening News, (12 Jan 2007)
http://www.mapinc.org/newstcl/v07/n037/a05.html?176Keep repeating the truth. Most people need many repetitions to learn. Welcome newbys.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #35 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 20:08:27 PT
CorvallisEric
I'm glad I'm not alone on thinking that way. It seems mostly true. Liberals see in gray areas more then conservatives I believe. I try to connect dots when posed with an issue. If I can't connect the dots I don't get it. I hope that makes sense.I mean this will lead to that type thinking.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #34 posted by CorvallisEric on January 13, 2007 at 19:43:19 PT
I don't understand why Republicans think that way.
(Re: FoM's comment #27)I'm intrigued by questions like that. Lately I've come across several claims of deep psychological and character differences between lefties and righties. Here's a modestly interesting article that gives some hints, but also goes heavily into "9/11 psychology" which I just don't feel like dealing with. Quotes are out of order:The most comprehensive review of personality and political orientation to date is a 2003 meta-analysis of 88 prior studies involving 22,000 participants. The researchersóJohn Jost of NYU, Arie Kruglanski of the University of Maryland, and Jack Glaser and Frank Sulloway of Berkeleyófound that conservatives have a greater desire to reach a decision quickly and stick to it, and are higher on conscientiousness, which includes neatness, orderliness, duty, and rule-following. Liberals are higher on openness, which includes intellectual curiosity, excitement-seeking, novelty, creativity for its own sake, and a craving for stimulation like travel, color, art, music, and literature.... conservatives and liberals boast markedly different home and office decor. Liberals are messier than conservatives, their rooms have more clutter and more color, and they tend to have more travel documents, maps of other countries, and flags from around the world. Conservatives are neater, and their rooms are cleaner, better organized, more brightly lit, and more conventional. Liberals have more books, and their books cover a greater variety of topics. And that's just a start. Multiple studies find that liberals are more optimistic. Conservatives are more likely to be religious. Liberals are more likely to like classical music and jazz, conservatives, country music. Liberals are more likely to enjoy abstract art. Conservative men are more likely than liberal men to prefer conventional forms of entertainment like TV and talk radio. Liberal men like romantic comedies more than conservative men. Liberal women are more likely than conservative women to enjoy books, poetry, writing in a diary, acting, and playing musical instruments."The Ideological Animal" http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20061222-000001.xml
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #33 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 17:33:24 PT
Toker00
Thank you. I am feeling much better today but I'm still not feeling really good. The tension that we are living in must be contributing to my not feeling well. I know that medicine can be life saving but I really believe most medicine causes more harm then good but I could be wrong. Insulin is a good drug for diabetics though.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #32 posted by Toker00 on January 13, 2007 at 17:23:49 PT
FoM
So sorry you have been sick. You rarely complain. A prayer is indeed in order.These Legal Drug companies are becoming Mad Sorcery Dealers. We should find a way to embarrass the Demons out of these crazy Pill Rollers. The offices of these Dangerous Legal Drug companies need to become the targets of protest. They are clearly and blatantly manipulating and controlling our health. If we get sick, we can only come to them for treatment. If their sorcery makes us sicker and we die, oh well. The Estate will pay the Doctors and Pharmacies, no lawsuits allowed. If they can slow the Disease with their sorcery and extend and stretch every little cent from your sickness, they will. They Do. If they can treat you for the treatment they give you, they will. They Do. FoM, I believe just like you do when it comes to Medicine. I just don't TRUST them any more. They have everyone running to them for every little pain or discomfort that Humans naturally get. They succeeded in removing the most valuable medicinal herb from our Medical Options, and are preparing to remove the rest, as well. Just like everything else, there are Good Doctors and Good Medicine. Bad Doctors and Bad Medicine seem to rule the Medical world just as Bad Politicians and Bad Businesspeople rule our Government. What happened to Truth prevailing and doing the Right thing? They have been passed over for impressive Financial Portfolios instead. We have to find a way to Bust their Bank.Toke.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #31 posted by Toker00 on January 13, 2007 at 16:59:00 PT
I'm geen, Mr. BGreen!
But it's just a light shade of Envy. Enjoy yourself. You're in a Great place to do that. Hi, Mrs. BGreen!Toke.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #30 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 16:44:20 PT
Rimonabant News Article
Rimonabant, the Drug Treatment Pill Will Be Soon Available on the MarketJanuary 14, 2007A pill to stop smoking marijuana. As happens in science fictions, you have just to swallow it and your bad habit, boredom, conscious choices or, sometimes, real pains will be suddenly removed. It is the stake of Nida, the US Institute of Drug Abuse, which have decided to implement an experimental health record with Rimonabant, the first stop smoking marijuana pill. Now Federsed, the Italian Federation Services for Drugs and other Addictions, decided to grasp the challenge too.Complete Article: http://www.rivistaonline.com/Rivista/ArticoliPrimoPiano.aspx?id=3211
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #29 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 16:17:45 PT
mayan
Thank you for keeping us updated on what is happening. I have really been sick and I had to turn off the news and try to stop thinking about the direction we are heading. I wish it would stop.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #28 posted by mayan on January 13, 2007 at 16:11:37 PT
Try This...
rhurt gamewood.net I tried to submit some enlightenment to Mr. Hurt by way of the link in my previous post but I don't think it went through.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #27 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 16:06:11 PT
Toker00
I don't understand why Republicans think that way.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #26 posted by mayan on January 13, 2007 at 16:02:31 PT
FoM
I wonder if Robert Hurt, republican from Virginia, has ever accepted money from the tobacco industry? Here's a related article...Proposal aims to tax illegal drugs:
http://tinyurl.com/yxfee8Let Robert Hurt know what you think! Your comments, ideas, and suggestions are very important to him... http://pws.gamewood.net/~maddog/feedback.htmlFire away!Meanwhile, the build-up continues...US sends warplanes to Turkey's Incirlik military base:
http://www.kuna.net.kw/home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=941583
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #25 posted by Toker00 on January 13, 2007 at 15:56:02 PT
FoM #22
Another damned Republican, wouldn't you know it? His last name even states his intentions. (No offense to all the kind Hurts out there)"He says the plan could generate $5 million to help law enforcement fight drugs. Hurt says several states, including North Carolina, have similar laws on the books. The bill would require people to pay a state excise tax on certain kinds of highly addictive or illegal drugs."Our plan could generate many more Millions in taxes and save Billions in taxes already earmarked for the Bogus War on Some Drugs. But that would hurt Mr. Hurt's Hurt Budget, wouldn't it, Mr. Hurt? Mr. Hurt, the laws on the books in North Carolina or wherever, already hurt enough people. Make laws that hurt LESS Mr. Hurt. Join our side and change your name to Mr. Hurtless instead of Mr. Hurtmore, Mr. Hurt. Get a heart and stop hurting us, Mr. Hurt. That article really hurts.Toke.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #24 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 15:46:09 PT
BGreen
I'm glad you had a great time. I never would have worried if Steve Irwin hadn't been killed. That was so bizarre so now I think about possible danger. Have a nice evening.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #23 posted by BGreen on January 13, 2007 at 15:17:55 PT
Thanks, FoM and Hope
We're back, safe and sound, and we're geting ready to go eat dinner.Scuba diving has it's risks, but we're both certified divers and we had good training. We never take unnecessary risks and hire expert dive masters to take care of us.See you later!The Reverend Bud Green
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #22 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 14:22:02 PT
New Bill Would Increase Penalty For Illegal Drugs
January 13, 2007Republican Delegate Robert Hurt wants to impose a fine of up to $200 per gram on illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine and heroin. He says the plan could generate $5 million to help law enforcement fight drugs. Hurt says several states, including North Carolina, have similar laws on the books. The bill would require people to pay a state excise tax on certain kinds of highly addictive or illegal drugs. People caught with the drugs would have to pay the excise tax in addition to whatever criminal penalties they received for their offense. The proposed rate ranges from $.40 per gram of marijuana stems to $200 per gram of heroin.Copyright 2007 by The Associated Presshttp://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=5935227&nav=ZolHbyvj
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #21 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 09:31:21 PT
Hope
I get so angry and turn it back on myself and never really show how angry something makes me. Everything that is going on in our country now has me upset. I don't like us anymore. Now that truly is a sad way to feel about my own country. The land itself I love from sea to shining sea. But that is because it's really God's Country to me.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #20 posted by Hope on January 13, 2007 at 09:27:03 PT
Hola! BGreen and Mrs. BGreen!
Sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Enjoy yourself!And be careful...we need you...safe and sound...and we're kind of fond of you, too.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #19 posted by Hope on January 13, 2007 at 09:20:06 PT
They...government and advisers,
make criminals out of people who are not. The more laws...the more criminals...the bigger the lawyer/criminal/prison industrial system.This is not about safety. It's about money for those with a perverted sense of how to draw money to themselves. It would be unfair to say "earn" money. They "draw" it to themselves with cunning plans and schemes. The criminalizing and prison scheme as been a doozy.It's so hard not to hate them.Don't hate. Don't hate. Don't hate.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #18 posted by Hope on January 13, 2007 at 09:16:02 PT
Lol!
ďJuan isnít growing the easiest pot in the world, heís growing excellent weed.ĒTranslated back to Are You Experienced? "Juan isn't growing shwag, he's growing kynd bud.":0)
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #17 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 09:05:58 PT
Make Alcohol Illegal!
You see I don't drink so that's the one I want illegal. I smoke so I'd be bummed out if tobacco was made illegal. No substance already legal should be made illegal. It shouldn't be a trade off in my opinion.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #16 posted by laduncon on January 13, 2007 at 08:56:20 PT
How bout we outlaw car pollution while at it
Prohibition ain't the answer with cigarettes, just as it isn't the answer with cannabis.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #15 posted by FoM on January 13, 2007 at 07:51:35 PT
BGreen
Enjoy the time away from the mess up here in the good ole USA. Watch out for things when scuba diving that could hurt either of you. I know I'm a worry wart! LOL!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #14 posted by BGreen on January 13, 2007 at 07:48:40 PT
Hola from the Riviera Maya, Mexico!
We're on a vacation in sunny Mexico, long removed from the terrible ice storm hitting our house back in Missouri.We're going scuba diving afterwhile but I'll check back later.The Reverend Bud (gringo) Green
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #13 posted by Toker00 on January 13, 2007 at 07:48:06 PT
Sorry.
The time-line on that last post was early 1940's.Toke.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #12 posted by Toker00 on January 13, 2007 at 07:46:06 PT
Comment about LaGuardia's marijuana tests.
I apologize for so many history posts that most of you know by heart. I'm just appreciating this guys detailed accounts.Search: Mezz Mezzrow.From Cannabis: A History. Marin Booth.A comment by Mezz about the subjects: '..."they were used as guinea pigs by some city doctors to find out what the score was with marihuana. They stayed over in that hospital smoking all the reefer they wanted at the city's expense, playing records, eating good, and talking up a breeze, while the doctors made all kinds of tests. As the guys came drifting back they told me those doctors had gone over them from stem to stern, not missing a square inch, and hadn't been able to find one harmful effect, or prove that reefer was in any way habit-forming. I began to feel pretty sore, doing a twenty-month stretch...for being in possession of some stuff the city's own doctors couldn't prove was any more harmful than some corn-silk cigarettes."' Jerry could have said that...No government sponsored medical marijuana tests, huh Guv.? LIARS!Toke.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #11 posted by Toker00 on January 13, 2007 at 07:13:45 PT
Mayan
That is GREAT about the 9-11 ballot question quota! How can we help increase the focus nationally on Vermont, and the 9-11 group? That is just too kool...printing and distributing...Toke.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #10 posted by Toker00 on January 13, 2007 at 07:04:35 PT
Cigarettes. Why?
(Besides the obvious Ease/Illegality of alternatives) How can these dangerous, cancer-causing health risks be attractive to people when there is an EXCELLENT alternative? And a SAFER way of ingesting what you SMOKE for in the first place? It's being proven every day that cannabis, vaporized, is a SAFER medicine AND recreational "drug/desire" than tobacco. Volcanoes are erupting all over the place! The chemical "lava" that flows from them is pristine! Health AND Happiness. And it's just as available as tobacco, providing the laws against it are removed, and even in spite of the laws being in existence against it for nearly a century, AND that you are willing to exercise your Free Will. I cringe when I am accidentally/inadvertently exposed to tobacco smoke. But that is because I have found a SAFER alternative. You can too! Our so-called Guvment is forcing an Anti-SAFER (Violence/Crime reducer) Alternative For Safer Enjoyable (Not to even mention HEALTHIER) Recreation Domestic policy on us that is destroying the lives of millions by way of this War on Some Drugs. On top of that, put all the millions of people who are UNAWARE of, and kept away from, this magnificent plant's potential. Go figure. Wage Peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #9 posted by mayan on January 13, 2007 at 06:45:49 PT
Misc.
"DOOMSDAY CLOCK" HAND TO BE MOVED, REFLECTING WORSENING NUCLEAR, CLIMATE THREATS TO WORLD:
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=3059&blz=1Check out the full page ad in yesterday's New York Times...IMPEACH NOW!
http://www.impeachbush.org/site/DocServer/impeachbush_2007_NYT1.pdf?docID=121THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...9/11 ballot question meets signature quota:
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS/70112015Pandora's Black Box - Chapter Two - Flight Of American 77 Released!
http://911blogger.com/node/55419/11 Misdirection (video):
http://infowars.net/articles/january2007/120107Misdirection.htm9/11 Accountability: Strategies and Solutions Conference -
Chandler, Arizona - February 23-25, 2007:
http://911accountability.org/accountability/
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #8 posted by CorvallisEric on January 12, 2007 at 23:20:50 PT
"If itís legal, it crosses like tequila"
:)Quote of the day.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #7 posted by FoM on January 12, 2007 at 21:25:07 PT
Toker00
Good to see you. I'm glad you dropped in.Hi Marc, It's good to see you.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #6 posted by Toker00 on January 12, 2007 at 19:55:18 PT
Stoppa tha warah.!Stoppa tha warah righta nowa! OT
Good evening, FoM. Just stopping by.To leave this:1. ThinkProgress, "Media Misleading Americans by Using "Surge,"" January 10, 2007
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/10/media-surge-escalation/2. The New York Times, "Democrats Plan Symbolic Votes Against Iraq Plan," January 9, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r? r= 2314&id= 9706-6910519-FX1k4FBvK2eSiUXSVa4j6Q&t= 2Gone.Toke.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #5 posted by Marc Paquette on January 12, 2007 at 18:48:58 PT:
MORE PROHIBITION??
How stupid! Prohibition is prohibition - and if made "illegal", where there's a demand, organized crime and it's "black market" will solve the void, and governments won't get compensated for the losses in tax revenues.There would be tobacco street gangs wanting the control - more violence, more killings and more people in jail!There would also be more corruption.And what about the extra judicial costs that taxpayers would have to assume? Evidently, prohibition NEVER worked, it NEVER benefited society, and it NEVER will!Marc
http://medpot.net/forums
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #4 posted by museman on January 12, 2007 at 16:05:35 PT
well hell yes!
"it's all about personal freedom, the government should just stay out of our lives,"I'll go one further; since "WE" are not the government, the government by it's own claims, and Constitutionally referred, is illegal.It's not enough that they 'back off, and leave us alone.' though that would be a pleasant (albeit temporary) experience, I admit, but that they and their ORDER cease to exist. Not the persons, the small people inside the big illusions, but the PERSONAGES, the packages of pretense that inhabit the halls of 'government and justice.'Strip away their trappings of 'authority and power' empowered and upheld by the weights and measures of wealth and class, and you just have very scared, small (because one can't really grow in such a false environment) humans who are suddenly naked, and in sore need of love and guidance, like little brat children who really need a spanking, but need love even more.But right now they pretend with such power that is given to them, that real and actual pain and suffering springs from their system and is inflicted upon the earth and all life upon it.Since the entire government from head to toe, has failed to meet it's original intent, and failed miserably, it is up to the people, who are CONSTITUTIONALLY EMPOWERED to SAY WHO AND WHAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS, to stand up and DO IT!The government and all of it's 'officers' and 'representatives' act in constituionally illegal manner, even if it is only in silent abstention to the crimes that are being committed daily by the s/elected representatives of -not the people- but the few elite who serve the master of Conquest and Aquisition with dedication unmatched by 'our side.'I alone can not change or halt the destructive process that is already in motion, but I refuse to allow my universe to think that I am without will. I choose to set myself in opposition to what I dearly paid to perceive as a lie, and give it no essence of my agreement.The system in place is dependant upon compromise after compromise. The integrity of our Founding Fathers Intent as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constituion (which alas was the first compromise) has been trashed beyond the common mans ability to identify, thus has trespassed away from it's orignal intent and goal of "Liberty and Justice for all."The only poitical solution open to us is to use our given constitutional rights to determine -without special dispensations of lawyers- how we wish to be governed -if at all.Our voices have risen against issue, after issue, sometimes actually seeming to move the monster in sane directions. However those were mere compromises to keep us from getting to the heart of the matter.The heart of the matter, is that our system has been usurped, manipulated, re-designed and structured to fit the current staus quo, which is rooted in the very unequal value system of propriety, and 'pedigree.' Or should I call it "pedi-greed?"The 'people' is all of us, rich or poor, sick or healthy, strong or infirm, and the power in place is certainly not of that persuasion. So why continue to look to it for solution and answer?
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by something on January 12, 2007 at 15:25:47 PT
well
pot can stand alone, it doesn't need the main argument for legalization to be based on how bad tobacco is, it's a very week argument, cigarettes shouldn't be banned either, it's all about personal freedom, the government should just stay out of our lives, next they'll be legislating breathing, we need to end what is happening right now, because guess what, personal freedoms are vanishing everyday, we need to stop letting the government control our lives, make them do their job, and take back the rights they've stolen from us since we've long forgotten our forefathers and constitution
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by The GCW on January 12, 2007 at 14:26:45 PT
paulpeterson, "FRANCHISE"
paulpeterson, You got a bulls-eye.Catholic Church franchise "FRANCHISE"The Catholic Church is a business: a "FRANCHISE" not much different than Burger Doodle...Christ, the Master wants / requests better.
---Interesting story, but!We have witnessed what is like to be persecuted and should not wish that upon another...We should not wish to trade in one inhumane activity for another.Yes, cigs kill, but should We cage humans for using or choosing to use them?Should We be a part of creating violence and black markets complete with murder rates due to a different prohibition?NO.On the other hand, it has been thought that Americans can not live with out a prohibition and with that in mind it is easier to understand prohibiting cigs which kill in place of cannabis which IS peaceful and does not kill.Cannabis / kaneh bosm even helps some people get to know Christ God Our Father.I could see The Ecologician smoking budz, but not cigs.And I don't see the Master condoning caging those that choose to use cigs.The Green Collar Worker
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by paulpeterson on January 12, 2007 at 13:34:27 PT
Nice Article-well summarized with good humor
Levity is good-it takes the heat out of heated arguments-like the one I had with a big-wig in the local "Dioceses" yesterday, in Sioux City, Iowa.For all of you that don't know what a "dioceses" is, it is the regional offices of whatever Catholic Church franchise is in the area. These are the people that "defend" sex abuse cases brought against "Priests", who have, apparently, for a long time, got away with fudging little boys in white robes that light candles in the churches, with their parents beaming proudly about the high honors their kids have to be able to wear the robes.These are also the people that "announce" to the press how many millions this dioceses or other pay out to the "groups" of little boys that have grown into adult men that seek to grow out of the horrible insult of being taken advantage by people they were placed in the company of, so that their parents could be proud or something.These Dioceses, of course, are also the current local representatives of the same church franchise that in 1484, adopted a "plank" of cannabis as being the "antisacrament", meaning that some 8 million of our "people" were then ritually charged, "tried" and executed, so that franchise could go on to be the most successful real estate corporation in the world-that is, until these local Dioceses started filing for bankrupcy "protection", so they could muster up the money to pay off the little white robed boys that grew up to be plaintiffs in groups of suits against groups of priests, and at the same time maintain "liquidity" to continue with the "essential" functions of their church franchise, which appears to be threefold:1) continuing to cloak sexabusers in some cloak, so they could continue to fudge little boys cloaked in white,2) continuing to ritually identify, prosecute and execute our people, for wanting to smoke a little herb, that continues to be the official "Antisacrament since 1484-8 million sentences served to death-now we just encourage incarceration".3) continuing to accumulate real estate-now from people that they shake down at death for "donations" to continue essential "business" of the church franchise (which appears to be numbers 2 & 3).Oh yeah, yesterday I talked with a priest guy, and I told him that "levity is important". Otherwise we would all get too serious and too anxious about #'s 1, 2 & 3 above.He kept wanting to direct the conversation to things like "you are shady" (for wanting to help people with Alzheimer's and such with cannabis) even though he is the one that is shady, not me. And that this is "against the law" even though all I am trying to do is change the law, and I am being prosecuted for such things as attending a church service, by his Catholic Chief of Police, that he confirmed is a "deacon" in their church franchise, and he didn't like me UPSTAGING HIM BY TALKING ABOUT MERCY. He even denied that the local goon (the Catholic Henchman that arrested me for trespass by going to a church, for Christ's sake) is a goon, and even said he was a "Christian", just like I claim to be, but recall, the Priest called me "shady" for wanting to work for mercy, and his goon wants to stop me from helping with mercy.So you see, levity is important, otherwise our people get too angry about all of this Catholic bullshit.Does it sound like I am expressing myself well enough? I have tried to inject some sense of humor here, but I think this writer did it better than I. And I am done now, and thanks for listening. PAUL PETERSON
[ Post Comment ]
Post Comment